parallax

Not at all. I will try it in December. There were always going to be initial bumps in the road and hopefully they will make improvements where needed.

We have always found the first night for dinner in the YC a little of a mess. Everyone comes to dinner at one time, the staff is trying to get into the swing of things and the first menu is usually the least interesting of the week. As a result, we have been doing Butcher's Cut. It is a more relaxful experience and it usually very slow the first night. The food is very good.

I tend to be a roll with a punches type of person. I understand tha everything is not going to be perfect on a cruise. However, if his happened to me and I received this sort of response, I would be livid. I feel for he OP. We have a 12 night cruise booked on the Oosterdam next year in a Neptune Suite. This is giving me pause. If there are plumbing issues that are endemic to the ship, why take the risk? Plus, if this is how they are going to respond, why give HAL my hard earned money?

I'm in the target demo for once. However, the wife says that my sense of humor is that of a 12 year old. If true, I'm fortunate it is not an adults only cruiseline.

It is a personal decision. I find the staff to be excellent and often provide additional gratuities. Providing a staff member an extra $50 or $100 is not going to be any skin off my back but I know it can beneficial to the family that person is supporting at home.

This is another nice video.

I believe I read that in one of Keith's post. We tend to purchase suites on larger cruise ships. We find it to be a refuge. On luxury cruise lines, we are less interested in the suite. We can find multiple places to relax. The challenge with Crystal is that their balcony cabins are on the smaller side and the storage is llimited. While we are not in the cabin that much on a Crystal ship, we feel like we are on top of each other. I would assume that the new ships would have balcony cabins around 300 SQ FT. That would be a much more ideal for us.

I think this is overkill. I don't know how one can have such a strong opinion at this stage. If you have ever been on a maiden voyage or an early cruise, issues are going to pop up. This happens to all cruise lines. Things are not going to be seemless. My hope is all the passengers are having a good time even though there have been missteps that need to be corrected.

What is the old military adage that a plan does not not survive first contact with the enemy. I have been on early cruises where there has been some chaos. It takes time to find footing. The key is how Explora addresses issues in the short and long term.

The new ocean ships make sense and are welcomed. The existing competition is rolling out new vessels and their is a new competitor in the marketplace. They have to keep up with the Joneses If you are new to Crystal or a casual Crystal cruiser, it can be a challenge justifying paying for a small cabin when for the same amount of money you can go on another luxury line and receive a cabin that is much larger. The difference between the balcony cabin on the Symphony and the cabin I will have on the Explora 1 is significant. I do not base my cruise decisions purely on the cabin but it is an important factor.

I find the redesign to be very nice. Having only sailed on the Symphony, I visited the Serenity when they were in Grand Turk together, I am less familiar with the spaces. It will be interesting to see the refurbishment of the Symphony. The one picyuane issue I have is that the carpet in some of the rooms look like they have rust stains. I'm sure it is not bad in person but for some reason it jumped out to me. It is fun to look at these pictures and the ones for the Explora I. The Explora is equally beautiful and I really enjoyed how they played with the space. It will be interesting to see how the inaugural cruises go for both lines. Bon voyage for those getting ready to board the Serenity.

Wow! Looks amazing. Looking forward to our December cruise. I'm hoping that Alex the bartender from the MSC Yacht Club (Seashore) is behind one of those beautiful bars.

Sometimes there is a perception versus reality issue. I went on two MSC cruises last year and they were staffed the same. One in August and one in December. The cruise in August had amazing service. The cruise in December the service was competent. The difference is that the December cruise was over New Years and the ship was at capacity. The staff was trying to take care of the passengers as best as possible and were stressed. We tried not to burden them. Some passengers also look at the staff as a social outlet. They want to have conversations with the staff and rightly so because they are interesting people. The challenge is that there is a time and a place for this sort of thing. Trying to have a long conversation in the middle of dinner service or during happy hour is not beneficial to staff or the other passengers.

I think it is reasonable for people to be bothered by this decision. Some people enjoy spending a little time at a casino on a cruise. This is no different if people were upset because Crystal got rid of the dance ambassadors or the pickle ball court. We are not fans of the entertainment provided on cruise lines. I find it mediocre at best. A show like the "Tribute to Eighties" reminds me of the horrible variety shows of the 1970s. As a result, with few exceptions, we do not attend shows. I find casinos as a way to socialize after dinner for an hour or two. The only time I gamble is on a cruse ship or if I find myself in Vegas. While a casino is not a prerequisite, it is a factor when we book a cruise. At this time, I would only consider Crystal if it was a port extensive cruise and the itinerary was better than what the competition provides.

I always get antsy when cruising on the same line again and again. The loyalty clubs are not an enticement for me to stay with a line. I do appreciate it, however, if some sort of discount is provided because you are a member. I have jumped around and traveled on different cruise lines over the years. Sometimes the line I choose is due to itinerary and other times it because we are looking for a relaxing cruise. I haven't been on Celebrity for many years but we are consider a cruise next summer with them in the Med. There is a nice itinerary and we know that overall Celebrity has a good product.

Yes, you have a choice. It is good for all us.

On Crystal, the programs existed you were just not aware of them. We took my daughter on two Crystal cruises (10 and 12) and she enjoyed the programs immensely both times. The facilities they had were small but the activities managed by the counselors were great. At most they were dealing with 15-20 kids. Most if not all luxury lines allow children to sail. It seems to me having a program can be a benefit. It provides a place for children to engage. The reality is that there are not going to be teams of children running around a luxury cruise ship. Cost, capacity restrictions and cruise lengths do not make it viable for most families. We are doing a December cruise on Explora and our 16 year old will be joining us. Not sure if she will participate in any kids activities but she will definitely want to participate in trivia. She loves trivia and has started to crush me when we watch Jeopardy together. If you see us on the sailing, we will be the ones playing trivia pursuit.

Old Crystal had a childrens program and a kids facility. During my cruises on Crystal, I found that children did not cause any disruption. My guess is the same applies here. Plus, if you go on longer cruises, the number of children are going to substantially decrease. I also think Regent has a kids program as well at select times of the year.

I look as the casino as an entertainment option. The money I lose at the casino playing $10 blackjack will not impact me whatsoever. Between the high prices and this sort of change to the entertainment options, I'm looking elsewhere at this time. In fact, I recently booked the Explora for December.

Generation Xers are closer to retirement than the start of their career. As one, I think the generalizations above are off the mark. Many of use of have disposable income to easily afford luxury cruise lines. We weigh different factors when deciding on what cruise to take. Sometimes price or the itinerary are factored more heavily in the decision-making process. Other times, the ship board experience is more important.

I'm a member of Generation X. I have the pictures of me in flannel to prove it. We cruised on Crystal twice and we loved it. Our daughter cried when we disembarked the Symphony the first time. I hope new Crystal does well and is able to capture the spirit of the original Crystal. Only time will tell. We are going to take a wait and see approach with Crystal.

I agree that shoes are half the game. If you go somewhere like the Parthenon, the surfaces are uneven, there can be awkward steps and the ground can be very slippery. If you have mobility issues, it can be a challenge and tiring. However, in my view, it would not be overly strenuous to most people, especially if the weather is nice. However, the cruise lines are always going to be very conservative when it comes to describing the risks associated with an excursion.

I always find it shocking the lack of research people do. If you are going to invest time, money and energy into something, a certain level research or due diligence is required. After years of cruise planning, research and reading trip reviews, I have a good sense of what cruise lines would be suitable for me based on my cruising interests and what I value. It seems that some of the blame should be focused on yourself.

We have aways enjoyed going to a casino a couple of nights during the cruise. Some of the entertainment does not interest me; it is the equivalent of a bad 70's variety show. I hope they add one.

Hola Tacos may be open.